Houston suburbs reclaiming more wastewater

Reclaimed wastewater soon will irrigate the trim lawns and wooded parks of some Houston suburbs. Instead of being dumped into the bayous, some of it might even undergo more extensive treatment in order to flow from kitchen taps.

Economics is starting to trump the yuck factor of reusing water flushed down toilets and drained from sinks.

"It's becoming more real than theoretical," said Mark Latham, who oversees Houston's two "reuse" agreements with golf courses and the growing number of queries to contract for city wastewater.

As suburban water providers aim to meet state benchmarks for reducing reliance on groundwater, they have cringed at undertaking costly expansions to draw more water from Lake Houston via the city system. With the 2011 drought still fresh in the minds of many, treating wastewater for landscaping has advanced beyond mere discussion in many Houston suburbs. Unlike other water sources, the availability of wastewater grows with the population.

"We've had clients look at reuse for a long time," said David Oliver, a public law attorney who works with several utility districts. "As the price of water has gone up, people are realizing the economics of the projects that may have been unreasonable 10 or 20 years ago now are feasible from a cost standpoint."

'From toilet to tap'

Later this year, Cinco Ranch will launch its reclaimed wastewater system to irrigate some public green spaces in the community west of Houston. The Southern Montgomery County Municipal Utility District also soon will offer reclaimed wastewater to residential irrigation systems north of Spring. The demand for water is greater in Brazoria, Galveston and southern Fort Bend counties, where the Gulf Coast Regional Water Authority has been unable to supply many farmers. The authority is in talks to divert treated wastewater from Houston, which it would mix into its raw supply and treat again before sending to fields, industrial plants and home kitchens.

Most water in the Houston area is pumped from underground aquifers or piped in from Lake Houston to treatment plants before flowing out of home faucets and sprinkler systems. After toilets are flushed, wastewater is sent to plants where it is minimally treated before being dumped into bayous along with rainwater, much of which eventually flows into Galveston Bay. Similarly, most of the water pumped from Lake Houston is treated wastewater that flowed downstream from Dallas and other cities.

Although reclaiming wastewater - also called recycling or reusing - remains rare in Texas, it has become more popular in recent years as drought-stricken towns have tried to meet local water needs. Wichita Falls was the second in the state to construct a costly treatment plant that takes waste­water "from toilet to tap." Defying doubters, the city's utility manager drank a full, clear glass while giving reporters a tour. San Antonio pioneered indirect reuse of wastewater decades ago, treating it for a variety of nonconsumptive uses.

State, federal standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality set strict treatment standards for water based on its source and use. They also study emerging contaminants that might affect human health and be the subject of future regulations, such as the byproducts of pharmaceuticals that end up in wastewater after people digest them. Scientists generally agree current treatment methods for reclaiming wastewater are sufficient.

While environmental experts lauded the emerging projects for diversifying water sources, they also stress the need to ensure enough water still flows into Galveston Bay via the bayous. A landmark 2011 agreement between the city of Houston and conservation groups illustrated the challenge of providing water to a booming urban area without damaging the ecological health of one of the nation's most productive fisheries. It guaranteed at least half of all treated wastewater will be released into the bay, where freshwater blends with saltwater to create the ideal estuary ecosystem for crabs, oysters, shrimp and fish.

Not all water conservation efforts have been welcomed in Texas.

Even as pumpage fees charged by water authorities in some Houston suburbs have increased by as much as a third in recent years, usage has not changed as dramatically, water leaders said. Some providers blame an attitude that residents have the right to use as much water as they can afford to buy. The city of Austin tightened regulations after years of drought, but some residents in wealthier parts of town skirted rules and rising bills by digging private wells in their backyards. As Houston water providers move forward with plans to reclaim wastewater, some speculate that few critics have emerged because that particular strategy doesn't ask people to use less. Environmental attorney Jim Blackburn cited the same reason in cautioning that such projects are not a complete solution to the region's booming water needs.

Although reclaiming wastewater represents a common-sense strategy for making the most of a limited resource, he said it does not change an underlying dilemma: Houston, and particularly its lush suburbs, use more water than they should.

"Reuse is fine," Blackburn said. "But if you have a wasteful use pattern, a supplemental source of water will just be wasted, too."

Groundwater too costly

In some northern suburbs, and likely throughout the region, more than 90 percent of homes with sprinklers water their lawns and gardens too often, according to a study last year for the North Harris County Regional Water Authority. The study concluded that 43 percent of water used by homeowners for irrigation was simply running into the gutter and storm sewers.

Steve Robinson, whose public law firm ABHR serves hundreds of utility districts in the Houston area, said the usage statistics might be shocking, but water providers ultimately must make sound financial decisions.

Groundwater has become more expensive at the same time that the structure of boards regulating and charging for water has become more complex. Coupled with the creation of incentives that reduce pumpage fees, Robinson said it simply became cheaper - despite capital costs - to recycle wastewater.

"That whole system is what has led us to see a lot of interest in doing reuse projects," he said.

Jim Lester, president of the Houston Advanced Research Center, agreed. He said the fear of drought and strain of growth will make it easier for utility providers to convince taxpayers.

"Everybody's scared about how they're going to expand their water supply," he said. "I don't see any real alternatives that are affordable in the long run."

Jayme Fraser covers government and growth in Katy and Fort Bend. She has worked at the Houston Chronicle since 2012, writing about city government, religion, housing and homelessness. Before coming to Texas, she reported on state and tribal governments, social services, higher education and other topics at dailies throughout the Northwest.